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The Prince
'The Prince '''is the fifth Shadows of the Apt short story by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It was published on his blog in November 2008. Set in the Commonweal shortly after the Twelve Year War, it follows a Beetle-kinden thief named Cordwick Scosser who falls in with a band of renegades led by Dragonfly-kinden Prince Lowre Darien. Plot Beetle-kinden thief Cordwick Scosser is imprisoned in a suspended cage beneath Maille castle. His cellmate, Mantis-kinden bandit chief and infamous criminal Evandter, is sought out by a Fly-kinden woman named Tesse, who is posing as a Rekef agent. Tesse offers to free Evandter in exchange for his oath to help her master, Prince Lowre Darien, rescue his betrothed Nysse Ceann from the Wasp Empire. Evandter and Lowre Darien are old nemeses and Evandter once kidnapped Nysse Ceann himself, but the encounter left him enamoured with her and he agrees to help. Cordwick talks his way into the group in order to escape imprisonment, and is then forced to stay as Evandter will kill him if he tries to leave. Tesse takes Cordwick and Evandter to meet Prince Darien, who has refused to accept the Treaty of Pearl and is still fighting a guerilla war against the Wasps in the occupied provinces. His only other follower is Philomaea, a Moth-kinden seer. The group journey to Del Halle where Nysse Ceann is held by the Wasps, and on the way Cordwick deduces that both Tesse and Philomaea are secretly in love with the prince. The group encounter a Slave Corps caravan and attack it, killing the guards and freeing their captives, whom Prince Darien instructs to flee over the border into the Commonweal. Reaching Del Halle, Cordwick proves his usefulness by convincing Darien, Evandter and Philomaea to hang back while he and Tesse infiltrate the fortress in the guise of Consortium agents. They bluff their way into the good graces of Colonel Borden, the fortress's commander, and find a way to let the other three in. That night the group infiltrate the fortress hidden by Philomaea's magic and locate Nysse Ceann, but they fall into a trap and are exposed. Philomaea is killed instantly, while Cordwick and Tesse are separated from Prince Darien and Evandter. Chaotic fighting erupts, with Evandter and Prince Darien slaughtering their way through the guards. Evandter attempts to free Nysse Ceann by himself and kidnap her once more, but is interrupted by Borden and his guards. Cordwick and Tesse reach Ceann just before Prince Darien does and witness their reunion, but Ceann murders Darien, revealing herself to by the Spider-kinden agent Scyla in disguise. Hiding, Cordwick and Tesse overhear where the real Nysse Ceann is being held. Escaping the fortress, Cordwick and Tesse find Evandter, who has been wounded while killing Colonel Borden and all of his guards. The three of them agree to continue Darien's mission together. Characters '''Cordwick Scosser: '''Beetle-kinden thief. '''Evandter: '''Mantis-kinden outlaw, bandit chief and kidnapper. '''Tesse: '''Imperial Fly-kinden turncoat, agent of Lowre Darien. '''Lowre Darien: '''Dragonfly-kinden prince and guerilla fighter. '''Philomaea: '''Moth-kinden seer and agent of Lowre Darien. '''Nysse Ceann: '''Dragonfly-kinden princess. '''Borden: 'Wasp-kinden Colonel. Category:The Prince Category:Short Stories